Happy New Year
by ceirdwenfc
Summary: Katie Bell attends a New Year's party and discovers it's more fun than she expected.


Title: Happy New Year

Author: ceirdwenfc

Rating: R

Word Count: 2893

Pairings: Charlie/Katie

Warnings: Serious Snogging, implied activities

Looking around, Katie was beginning to regret coming. She hardly knew anyone here. George had invited her when she went into his shop last week, but she hesitated to go. She had always had a crush on him, but now that he and Angelina were engaged, she wasn't sure about being here at his brother's cottage for the New Year's Party. Every third person was a red-headed Weasley. Hermione and Ron had been married for almost a year, and they were expecting their first child in the early part of summer. Ginny and Harry were expecting their second around the same time, maybe a little sooner by the way Ginny looked. She hadn't really kept in touch with anyone aside from Angelina and Hermione. She spent what seemed like a lifetime traveling as a writer for the Which Way Witches Quarterly, a travel magazine specializing in holidays for single witches. She was tired of being an expert in that subject as well, and she didn't mean the traveling part. New Year's was a dreadful time to be single. Pathetic. Pitiable. She should've stayed home and checked her itinerary. Her editor was forcing her to go on another assignment next week, and she had only just returned from Melbourne. She was supposed to leave again on Wednesday for Bucharest. They were getting ready to host the Quidditch World Cup in the summer, and her editor thought that an article for the Quarterly should cover the sports-minded witch's summer holidays. Since Katie had played Quidditch at school, he thought she'd be perfect for this assignment. She would've liked to spend more than a week or so in her lovely flat. She had even recently bought a new larger bed. She wanted to be comfortably curled up in it right now with a good book.

She looked through the kitchen window, and saw the full moon glistening like an orb above the cliffs that were adjacent to the cottage where Bill and Fleur had lived since their marriage, and where they were raising their two kids. She slipped out the back door, and sat on the nearby picnic table, looking up at the stars twinkling and, despite the cold, relishing in the moonlight shining on her face. She smiled back at the moon and closed her eyes. She could see the bright light beyond her closed eyelids and was surprised when it seemed to fade. It was like a shadow had passed in front of her face. She had become slightly discomfited, coming to the realization that someone had come outside and was standing in front of her. She could feel that they were very close to her. She could almost hear their heartbeat and knew that if she opened her eyes, she would see their warm breath in the cold night air. Part of her wanted to open her eyes and shout, "Boo," but the other part of her wasn't sure why this person would remain silent, just watching her. Or perhaps, she was being too narcissistic. Perhaps, they only wanted to get away from the party, and get a breath of fresh salty air. Why hadn't they announced their arrival especially when they saw that her eyes were closed? Who would be so annoying? When she heard the footsteps walking away, she opened her eyes. She glanced at her watch. It was nearly midnight. She didn't want to be completely alone at midnight, out in the cold misty air, and the sooner it was midnight, the sooner she could go home. Pathetic, she thought, but surely, someone would take pity on her and kiss her at midnight. She strode back to the house and reentered through the same kitchen door she had left from.

George was handing out the Christmas crackers and one of his brothers was following, helping him. She thought it was Charlie or Percy, no, it was Charlie. She frowned and turned away, looking for a quiet corner to countdown the end of this horrendous year, and hope for a better one next year. In this cottage full of people, she was astonishingly lonely. It wasn't so much that she had no boyfriend; she just felt out of place with these people. Bill and Charlie and their friends were much older. Fred was gone. She really hadn't kept in touch with George or his family, even with her Quidditch teammates. Even Hermione was too busy to babysit, not that she really needed a babysitter. She just wanted a friend to start the New Year off right. George and his shadow went by once. It seemed as though they both glanced at her, although Katie couldn't imagine why. At five minutes to midnight, George had finally finished handing out the crackers. She wasn't surprised that there was none for her; she knew they were for couples, and she was definitely a single. Suddenly, a man was drawing her to her feet. It took a moment before she realized it was George's older brother, Charlie. He handed her a cracker.

"The last one – just for us," he said with a huge smile.

"For us? Didn't you bring a date?"

"No. I don't have a date. I wanted to end my evening with the prettiest witch here."

"Who would that be, then?"

"You're a modest one. When George told me you would be here, I made special plans to come in from the preserve in Romania to spend midnight with you."

"You're taking the mickey?"

"No. Honest. I read your stuff all the time."  
"Charlie, it's a women's magazine."

"I suffer through. Where is the modern witch going on holiday next?"

"Bucharest."

"Isn't that where the Quidditch Cup will be this summer?"

"Yes, it is."

"I work very near there."

"Do you?"

"Mmm, hmm. Do you know something else?" When she didn't answer, he went on, tilting his head so that it was very close to hers. "I've been watching you all evening, sulking in your dark corner, waiting for this night to end." She remained silent, but watched him with a mixture of curiosity and annoyance. She was finding it hard to concentrate on his words as she looked into his bright hazel eyes. They were positively twinkling. "I've been waiting for you to notice me."

"You must be drunk."

"I'm not drunk. I told you – I want to be with the prettiest witch at midnight and here I am…with you."

"Cracker time, Georgie," Bill called out. These new crackers were great with couples. Two people grab at either end of the cracker and pull like with a traditional cracker, but with these, though, when you pulled them, instead of giving you a trinket or a treat, they exploded into a firework display. They were a new product at George's shop. Every two people got one cracker, and by now George's parents had arrived as well as Hermione's and Fleur's. The small cottage seemed much smaller as everyone was crammed into the first floor and on the stairs leading up to the second level. The kids were supposed to be sleeping, but everyone was pretending that they were sleeping to let them enjoy the fireworks display. It was just one minute before midnight.

George began to speak to the crowd in a loud voice, one arm around Angelina's shoulders. Charlie took a step closer to Katie, and she could smell his citrusy aftershave. She felt lightheaded, and she wasn't sure why that was. She heard George's voice in the distance, but she was beginning to notice Charlie's muscular arm pressing against her own arm, and his broad chest was rising and falling with every breath he took. She could see his heartbeat pulsating in his neck, and saw that what she thought was a tan was actually about a hundred freckles all clustered together. He glanced at her, and she blinked, hearing George's booming voice. "All right, everyone. Now, remember, don't pull on your cracker prematurely." There was a smattering of giggling as he continued, "Come on, people, focus. Each of you grabs one end." More laughter. "The end of your cracker, and when Bill says 'ten', you pull. You'll hear a pop, and ten seconds later, at midnight, you'll see the fireworks." He handed Angelina her end of the cracker, and they waited for Bill to begin the countdown.

Charlie turned to Katie, holding out one end of the cracker. "Will you pull mine?" He smiled, and she saw his perfect white teeth and a dimple on his right cheek. She couldn't help but to smile back at him. They were almost the same height. She grasped her end of the cracker, and Charlie smiled at her.

"Okay, everybody ready," Bill called. "Ten." Everyone pulled on their crackers. There were ten or twelve pops sounding simultaneously. Katie had only been holding her end loosely, and when Charlie pulled, he pulled it right out of her fingertips. They looked at each other, laughing, and she grabbed it again, and they pulled again, together this time, hearing the distinctive pop that they had heard from everyone else. Some of the others around them heard it, and Katie was embarrassed that they were late.

Now, everyone began to count. "Nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one –"

There was a huge cheer as the mantle clock started to chime twelve successive chimes to announce the arrival of midnight and the New Year. The fireworks were banging and blasting all through the house, with impressive colors and designs. The one Charlie and Katie had pulled produced a dragon on a broomstick. The couples watched the explosions of color for a moment before beginning the traditional New Year's kissing. Charlie looked at Katie and leaned down, whispering in her ear, "we should kiss – it is midnight, and we wouldn't want to break tradition…or be pathetic," he added, and with that he kissed her lightly on her lips.

As he moved his head away, she smiled and their eyes met. His expression changed as he gazed into her dark brown eyes. He was no longer laughing, but there was such attentiveness in his gaze that Katie was forced to catch her breath. He opened his mouth to speak, but he was agonizingly aware of how close she was to him. He spoke in a soft voice as his breath caressed her cheek. "You have the darkest, most beautiful eyes…" His voice trailed off, and he could hear her heart beating, feel her breath on his face, and before any more words came out of his mouth, he edged his head lower, and his body ever closer to hers and as he pressed his hard chest against her softness, he kissed her mouth again. This time his kiss was not the light symbolic one they had commemorated midnight with, but a much more intense one. She was surprised at first when she felt his tongue on hers, but her surprise soon turned to delight as she opened her mouth wider, letting his tongue slide in. He could feel her breasts against him as he moved his arms around her back and held her firmly. He was utterly thrilled that she was responding to his kiss with her own. He caught his breath when her arms went tightly around him, holding him against her as she fell into the wall behind her, and he tumbled into her. When they finally separated, they stared at each other for a long moment. The fireworks were still popping and cracking all around the house.

Charlie continued to stare silently at Katie, trying to catch his breath, but heard his name and as he tore his gaze away from hers finally, he saw his parents and George staring, and he grinned sheepishly. Bill met Charlie's eyes and smiled at his younger brother. When Charlie turned back to Katie, she was smiling at him. He gazed into her eyes as if she were the only one in the noisy cottage. He looked upon her face differently as she looked at him with laughing eyes. Somehow, despite their seeming solitude, he could feel the eyes of his parents still closely fixated on them. He was becoming unnerved, and leaned down to whisper to Katie, "Could we go somewhere more…private; to talk?"

She smiled. "Lead the way."

He put his hands on her shoulders and pushed her gently, guiding her as she walked backwards through the kitchen entryway and into the first open doorway, closing the door behind them. Charlie sat in the only place he could and drew Katie to him so she was now sitting on his lap. She touched his face so tenderly; he could only sit there with his arms around her waist, in silence, with the only sounds coming from the rest of the cottage. The fireworks continued to pop and sputter; one even flew by the window in the small room they were in. When she moved closer and kissed him on the mouth, his senses stirred and his desires came to the forefront, literally. He clung to her tightly, but soon he was pulling off her jumper and unbuttoning her shirt. He bit her ear and was kissing her neck as he released her breast into his hand and as he began to feel her bare breasts, she gasped in his ear. He laughed softly as she turned herself and straddled his waist. He held one breast; softly caressing her as his tongue lightly savored her nipple which was instantly hard. He covered it completely with his lips and nipped at her carefully with his teeth. She tossed her head back almost involuntarily as she moaned, "Oh, oh, Charlie." He smiled broadly, pleased with her response to his touch, and pillowed his head on her breasts. When he lifted his head, he began to open his own shirt, but when Katie looked into his eyes, he stopped. He took her hands in his, and he was still smiling when he spoke.

"Is everything all right, Katie?"

She returned his smile. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to lead you on, but…"

He kissed her cheek. "But what? It's okay. Be honest with me," he said as he continued to kiss the front of her neck. He let his tongue slip down into her cleavage, and he smiled as she gasped softly again.

"Charlie, I don't know how to say this, but I'm not having sex with you in your brother's loo."

Charlie laughed. "Not romantic enough for you?"

"Charlie, you're sitting on a toilet."

"You're a lot fussier than most of my dates."

"My first time…with you…will not be in a toilet."

He laughed. He ran his fingers though her hair as she cupped his face in her hands and kissed him. He could feel his passion ignite again and he was the first to pull away. Her smile promised more than kisses. "Let's go back to your flat," he murmured into her neck. He could feel the shake of her head before she spoke.

"Not tonight. Take me on a proper date, and maybe…"

He laughed. "Wait a minute. Now, you tell me you're high maintenance." He watched as she stood, readjusting herself and re-buttoning her shirt, pulling her jumper over her head. She smoothed it over her shirt. "Aren't you tucking in your shirt?"

"It wasn't tucked in when I got here. What exactly do you notice when you look at a woman?" She leaned down and kissed him again. He stood up and put his arms around her waist.

"Happy new year," she whispered as she stood up on her tiptoes and kissed him again. He pulled her close to him for another time and responded hungrily to her more reserved kisses, pressing more than his leg against her thigh this time. "Hang on," she said. "I…I'm really…"

"Shh. Just give me one more moment. I promise I'll stop." He bit her ear again and caressed her neck with his tongue, but he did eventually stop.

"Oh, bugger," she exclaimed. "I'm going away next week."

"To Bucharest."

"Yes." She put her head down on his strong muscled chest.

"Bucharest is in Romania," he said quietly with a secret smile.

"I know where Bucharest is, Charlie. I'm a travel writer."

"Remember, I told you – I live in Romania," he said softly, taking her into his arms and a warm embrace, ending with another impassioned kiss.

"You did? You do?" she asked, smiling at him and he kissed her a bit more tenderly this time and held her close. They stood together in each other's arms and they could hear the fireworks finally dying down. They both felt as though this was going to be a very good new year. After a few more moments, they managed to sneak out of the loo with no one noticing.

They stepped out of the cottage, wandering to the cliff's edge and stood together staring at the blackened star spotted sky, listening to the waves hitting the rocks below as Katie delighted in the memory of Charlie's body against hers and the taste of his mouth on her lips, and she smiled, grasping his hand and disapparating without a word to him, directly into her flat, knowing that when he saw her large comfortable bed, he wouldn't mind the sudden trip.


End file.
